


autumn salt our wounds

by lavenderlotion



Series: and all i know now is without you i could never find my way [18]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dates, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fear, Homophobic Language, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, M/M, Mission Fic, Mutation, Nightmares, POV Alternating, Rescue Missions, Sister-Sister Relationship, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:48:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23964163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderlotion/pseuds/lavenderlotion
Summary: Jas had already lost one set of parents, she couldn't handle losing another.
Relationships: Laura Kinney & Jason Stryker, Laura Kinney/Kitty Pryde, Leech (Marvel)/Jason Stryker, Logan (X-Men)/Hank McCoy
Series: and all i know now is without you i could never find my way [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618789
Comments: 39
Kudos: 27





	1. missing

**Author's Note:**

> A HUGE thanks to Librata for both the amazing beta work and the wonderful support. Thank you so much!!

She woke up sweating. Her heart was beating quickly, slamming against her ribs as she was thrust from sleep and into a panicked consciousness between one breath and the next. She gasped even as she tumbled out of bed, barely sparing a thought to cover herself in her silk wrap before she stumbled bodily into her bedroom door. Wrenching it open, Jas all but flew across the hall then tripped into her sister's room breathlessly, pushing through the aching pain that was sitting right behind her eyes as her panic made it hard to breathe.

Gasping again, her eyes desperately searched through the darkness veiling Laura’s room, barely able to see with the faintest threads of light coming from the nightlight placed at the end of each hall. She could  _ just _ make out the bodily lump that had to be her sister, and the overwhelming panic that had been growing up her tummy and restricting her chest lessened enough that she was able to take a deep breath that filled her burning lungs even as she stumbled into the room on weak, tired knees.

“Laura,” she breathed, barely able to hear herself over the pounding of her heart in her ears. “L-Laura,” she said again, louder, holding her breath and clenching her hands into tight fists as she waited.

The lump of bedding shifted as a groan sounded out, but Jas couldn't find it in herself to move any closer from where she was standing at the edge of the bed. Her jelly-like knees had finally locked and her body had frozen up as the unfounded fear twisting her stomach into knots grew worse. Finally, Laura pushed herself up, though her eyes were still shut even as she sniffed the air before a frown pulled at her lips.

“Jas? What the hell...” Laura trailed off as she scrubbed a hand over her eyes and blinked at her sleepily. Her face was pressed with a crease from her pillow and her hair was piled messily atop of her head.

“Something's wrong,” she whispered, terrified that putting the words out there would make them true when she had _no_ _idea_ why her breathing was shallow or her heart was racing or her stomach was clenching with hot, unpleasant tension. All she knew was that something wasn't right, and it was so wrong that it'd woken her up from sleep.

The pile of blankets beside Laura stirred, and a sleep-thick voice mumbled, “Babe?” from somewhere inside the mountain of covers. 

Laura's cheeks tinted red, no doubt embarrassed at being caught, but Jas shook her head and reached out for her hand, squeezing tightly as soon as Laura moved forward to tangle their fingers together. “Laura, something's wrong.”

Laura nodded, no doubt still pushing away the hold of sleep, and Jas reached into the deepest recess of her mutation to press forward the building terror that was mounting in her chest despite the effort it took her to do so. Once she'd pressed her fear into Laura's mind she pulled back, wincing at the way her headache kicked up from a dull ache to a sharp, stinging pain.

When she finally managed to blink away the spots dancing in her vision, Laura was staring at her with wide, terrified eyes and the grip on her hand was iron tight. “Jas... what was that?”

She shook her head, reaching out to steady herself on the edge of the bed before she fell over, and weakly told her, “I don't know.”

“Did something happen?” Laura asked her seriously as she climbed out of bed, not letting go of Jas' hand and dragging her over to her dresser where she grabbed a shirt, only letting go long enough to get her arms through the fabric before she was reaching back out, their hands finding each other without either of them looking.

“I don't know,” Jas told her quietly, voice shaking. She heard Kitty get up but didn't look away from her sister's eyes. “It woke me up. Something... something's wrong.”

“Okay,” Laura breathed, looking around and then grabbing a pair of jeans off her floor and letting go of Jas' hand again to pull them up.

She made a noise in the back of her throat involuntarily at the lack of contact, feeling all at once like she was going to fall apart without Laura holding her together, but then Kitty was there, dressed in pyjamas and reaching down to take the hand Laura'd let go of. Jas took a deep breath and focused on the thrumming of emotions she could now feel along the back of her mind, drowning herself in Kitty’s cool worry in a desperate attempt to block out her own spiralling panic. 

“Hey, it's okay, J,” Kitty told her seriously, giving her a sweet smile that helped slow her racing heart. “We'll figure out what's going on, yeah? We can do this!”

“I don't know... I think it has to do with dads,” Jas whispered quietly, her eyes starting to water as she steeled herself before she reached into the back of her mind and searched for the bright, silvery light that connected her to her family; mental bonds of steel had been born from the familial relationship they had desperately crafted, a group of lost people thrown together and finding a home in each other’s hearts. “I-I can't  _ feel  _ them.”

“Shit,” Laura hissed as she did up her jeans. She moved back to Jas' side and took her free hand, squeezing tightly when she asked, “are you sure?”

She nodded even if it made fear light up in Laura's eyes. Her sister knew just as well as she did that her telepathy allowed her to hear the barest hints of thoughts when she was close to someone, though it primarily manifested in empathy. If she was in the same room as someone else she would be able to feel their feelings wash over her, though she had to focus her telepathy before she’d get hints of thoughts that went any deeper. Her telepathy and empathy were stronger when she touched someone, and there were her illusions. 

Illusions were the main onset of her mutation. With ease, she could reach out and overlay the reality people saw with  _ anything  _ she wanted them to see. It was as easy as breathing, as easy as simply imagining what she wanted someone to see then latching onto the bright awareness of their mind. Reading emotions was harder, but reading thoughts was harder still, but illusions were the most natural onset of her abilities. 

Except when it came to her family, who she had a constant, low-level awareness of; her Dad theorized the telepathic bonds she had with the three of them was her mutation's response to the childhood trauma that came from losing her genetic family.

If she couldn’t feel them, when she  _ always  _ could... something was wrong. 

“I think that's what woke me up,” she admitted, squeezing Kitty's hand she made a small noise of distress. The three of them had been good friends since they first got to the mansion and Kitty knew how Jas' mutation worked just as well as Laura did.

“They were just supposed to be going out dancing,” Laura told her and Jas nodded in agreement.

Just as she was opening her mouth to reply, Charles' voice echoed through her mind, and, from the look on her sister's face, hers too.  _ Please, come straight to the basement, girls, _ Charles ordered, along with a forced calm that didn’t do anything against Jas’ mind and the layered, latticework shields she kept around her thoughts. 

The three of them shared a look and a squeeze of their linked hands before they slipped from the room together. Kitty went straight through the wall and Jas and Laura rushed through the door. They didn't run down the hall despite the panicked urgency swirling through each of them, aware of just how late it was. The mansion was asleep around them and they did their best to keep quiet even as they hurried through the halls. 

Jimmy met them on the main floor in nothing but boxers and a loose t-shirt, an outfit that Jas would have been  _ very _ interested in if she wasn't freaking out. He called her name and rushed down the hall to catch her hand. Jas tangled their fingers together tightly, tugging him with her and feeling something inside her chest settle when he fell into step beside her. A measure of calm washed over her when she could no longer feel the absence of her dads in the back of her mind because she couldn't feel  _ anything. _

“What's going on?” he asked, squeezing her hand tightly, grey eyes sharp with worry. “The Professor woke me and asked me to come to the basement.”

“I... I t-think our dads are missing,” she told him even as she rushed down the spiralling staircase that led into the basement, none of them patient enough to wait for the elevator. Their steps echoed through the stairwell as they hurried down, all in hilarious different states of undress save for Laura, who was barefoot and braless but at least had  _ pants. _

By the time they made it to the main floor of the lower levels which were bathed in bright, artificial light, the Professor was already there, hands folded in his lap and a serene smile on his face. Jas slipped her hand from Jimmy's so she could press her mind forward, slipping past his calm smile and feeling the underlying worry he couldn't hide from her.  _ Crap, _ something was definitely wrong if the Professor was hiding his worry from them.

“Hello, children,” the Professor greeted them all with the same, forced calm that was on his face, Erik at his shoulder and showing marginally more emotion on his face than his husband. When Jas focused on him, he was even more worried than Charles. “As you've realized, Mr. Howell and Mr. McCoy haven't yet returned from their evening plans.”

Jas nodded, but it was Laura who snapped, “What the hell do you know but aren't saying?”

Well, she could clearly smell exactly what Jas was picking up from the two of them. “Has something happened to them?” Jas asked quietly, trying to keep her voice steady despite the way it felt like she could barely take a full breath.

“Nothing's been confirmed yet,” the Professor said in the same, calm tone that set Jas' teeth on edge when she could feel the distress underlying his words. “To our knowledge, they had been expected to return no later than one-o'clock this morning, and they are now an hour and a half late coming home.”

“What does that mean, Professor? Are they safe or are they in danger?” Kitty asked from where she was standing on the other side of Laura, her quiet voice hardened with an edge Jas seldom heard from her.

Silence rang out in the hall, interrupted only by their quick breathing and Jas' own heartbeat, which was racing loudly in her ears. The moment of relative calm she'd felt when she first saw Jimmy had passed now that she was able to feel just how worried the Professor was. She could still feel the artificial calm that he was pressing into her mind, recognizing the foreign edge that his telepathy had always held when he was within her thoughts.

Something must have been really, really wrong. 

After seconds that felt like  _ hours _ with how nervous she was, the Professor said, “We don't know,” in a voice he kept light enough that Jas was  _ sure _ he meant it to be comforting but instead just sounded patronizing. Jas felt her lips twist down into a frown, panic starting to climb back up her throat until it felt like she could hardly breathe when they all did  _ nothing _ but just stand around.

“So what's being done?” Jimmy asked and Jas slipped their fingers back together to squeeze his hand tightly in thanks.

“We're monitoring the situation as needed,” Erik told them all easily, like it was just a regular bit of news and not something that they were  _ all  _ worrying about despite how badly the two men were trying to play it off like it was nothing. 

“Give us a straight fuckin' answer,” Laura hissed angrily enough that Jas was glad her and Jimmy's fingers were still twined together so she wouldn't have to feel her sister's emotions on top of her own.

“Now, the last thing we need to do is panic,” Erik said in a tone of voice that made Jas want to punch him in the face.  _ “If _ it's needed, we'll be locating them and sending a team to retrieve them.”

“We called you four down here as you were already awake and worried, and we wanted to advise you that we're working on it and to give you four a place to be together while we figure out our next steps,” the Professor said with the same serene smile that was  _ still _ on his lips despite the fact that their  _ parents were missing _ and they had no idea what was going on, or if they were alright, or if they'd ever see them again.

Jas had already lost one set of parents, she couldn't handle losing another.

Jas whimpered quietly without meaning to and Laura growled lowly, the noise echoing through the narrow hall, one of pure aggression and anger. She took a step forward, claws sliding out of her hands until she suddenly jerked and then went completely still before another, higher pitched growl that bordered on being on a whine fell from her throat. Erik was staring directly at her with steely eyes, no doubt having wrapped his mutation around her to keep her still. Jas took her hand from Jimmy's in case she needed her powers, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

Next to her, she felt Jimmy's usual calm demeanour crack, and barely a second later Erik was gasping and stumbling forward as Laura got control over her body and rolled her shoulders, growling louder than Jas had  _ ever _ heard. She reached out and grabbed her sister’s hand, linking their fingers together carefully and pressing their arms together in the best offer of comfort that she could provide as she made a cartoon heart appear at the edge of Jimmy's vision in a show of thanks.

“You're not going to be doing anything without us,” Laura growled threateningly when Erik righted himself.

He took another, equally threatening step forward and without a single thought Jas cut him off from his vision, clouding his mind with an endless sea of blackness before cutting her eyes to Charles sharply.

“These are our  _ Dads, _ Professor,” Jas pleaded, keeping her hold on Erik's mind until he spat out a cuss word and stepped back behind his husband's chair. As she slowly cleared his vision and allowed him to see, she added, “We're going to get them whether you want us to or not and it would be  _ much _ easier for all of us if you let us go and didn’t try to stop us.”

They stared at each other unblinkingly while their minds twisted together. The Professor was one of the most powerful telepaths in the entire world, beaten perhaps  _ only _ by Jean, but while Jas' telepathy might not be even a fraction as powerful as Charles' own, she was  _ desperate _ to get her parents back. She could feel him moving through her mind and didn't block him from feeling the hopeless, mind-numbing fear that was clouding everything else even as she did her best to focus on her sister's presence in the back of her mind to keep herself sane.

Erik's hand gripped the Professor’s shoulder and a moment later he inclined his head and he slowly pulled himself from Jas' consciousness. “Alright,” he sighed tiredly, scrubbing a hand down his face in an uncharacteristic show of weakness. “Ororo will accompany you as your field supervisor, but... this will be your first official mission as X-Men. I’ve already called her down, she’ll just be a moment.”

None of them cheered. This wasn't an accomplishment like she'd heard of from various other team members. This wasn't them graduating training after completing a near-impossible danger room course. Their dads were in danger, danger they were going to use  _ everything _ they had in them to get them back. Before any of them could say anything else, the elevator dinged open and the four of them turned to find Ororo approaching them, already dressed in her field suit.

“You kids ready for this?” Ororo asked them, the wall next to her splitting open to reveal the “closet” that housed the personalized X-Suits as well as the training suits and then opened up further to the plane hangar.

Jas nodded, feeling the steely determination of her family from either side of her, Laura's tinted with anger and Jimmy's overlaid with his usual calmness.

“Excellent. Come with me,” she ordered, leading into the hangar where the X-Jet was already humming with power. She was confident, her back straight and her cape billowing behind her. She stopped in front of the jet's ramp and turned to them with a kind face as she asked, “Now, any of you got a plan?”

“We would if we had any idea what the hell was goin' on,” Laura snapped, her anger palpable in the air around them. 

_ Ah, sorry about that, _ Charles pressed into their mind before layering everything he knew about their dads through their thoughts.

Laura growled again, no doubt rifling through the new-found information as Jas did—Logan and Hank had been picked up between one and half-past-one in the morning, which was when Charles had finally wheeled down to Cerebro to check on them, by a group Charles and Erik had been keeping their eyes on. They didn’t know much about them, but they knew the group was working to eradicate what they considered to be “the mutant threat.” Charles thought that they were kidnapped due to Hank's appearance and he knew roughly where they were being held, though he hadn't been able to get the specifics as the building was partially blocking him.

It had been more than half an hour since he'd found this out, and so far they hadn't done  _ anything _ to get their dads back. Anger simmered under Jas' skin, fuelled on by the white-hot burning of Laura's aggression, and it took everything in her to keep down the flood of tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. They could have already gotten them back if the Professor had just  _ done  _ something, but there was a blind gap in Jas' mind whenever she tried to figure out why he  _ hadn't.  _

She knew there was something he was holding back from them, and it was causing her hands to shake with rage. 

Laura took a deep breath and Jas did her best to send her a wave of comfort even if she didn't feel it herself. When Laura started speaking, her voice was laced with a growl. “Jimmy you're piloting the jet,” Laura stated, stepping up and taking command in a way that Jas always knew she was capable of. “Jas, depending on the situation we're going to need you covering us while Kitty and I infiltrate. Storm,” Laura said, pausing to nod her head respectfully at the older woman, “will you provide outside cover?”

“Of course,” Ororo said kindly, and while the smile on her face was calm, it wasn't because she was holding something back or trying to keep them from getting upset; the smile on her face told of  _ years _ of experience fighting unimaginable threats, and it brought Jas a measure of comfort to know she would be there with them. “You can get suited up on the plane, but we shouldn't wait any longer.”

Jas nodded, snagging Jimmy's hand and then letting go when Laura and Kitty followed Storm onto the plane with their own hands linked together. She could feel their  _ worryangerdesperation _ until they'd boarded the plane and pulled herself back, focusing on her boyfriend and lacing their fingers back together, looking up into his pretty, pale eyes and stepping closer into his space before hooking her trembling hands around his neck.

“I'm terrified,” she whispered, feeling a tear finally fall and track a wet path down her cheek.

Jimmy wiped it away and then grabbed her hips to keep her close, nodding in agreement before swaying forward to rest their foreheads together. “Me too,” he told her just as quietly, and then asked, “Good luck kiss?” with a squeeze to her hips when she nodded. He leaned in and so, so softly brushed their lips together. “You'll be amazing. We'll get them back, okay?”

Jas nodded, pressing forward for another kiss and saying, “I love you,” a little desperately.

“I love you too,” Jimmy told her just as quietly, their tacky lips catching as they gave themselves another moment to kiss.

Finally, she nodded her head, took a deep, fortifying breath that tasted like the boy she loved, and walked onto the jet with him by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come say hi to me on [tumblr](https://lavender-lotion.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> kudos are much appreciated, but things have been really difficult lately, and a comment, as short and sweet or as sprawling and sporadic as you can manage, would be _greatly_ appreciated! 
> 
> i run an x-men discord server! check it out [here!](https://discord.gg/3uG3VNP)


	2. capture

Logan was starin' at Hank's wide, happy smile as they walked down a back street, their fingers twined together 'n arms swingin' 'tween them. It may not've been safe, Logan could admit to that, but Hank was  _ blue _ 'n walkin' down the street like it didn’t even fuckin' matter, so Logan didn't care either. There'd been  _ years _ when this was somethin' Logan never could've imagined havin', lost 'n terrified 'n not knowin' anythin' 'bout who he was. He still didn't know a whole lot 'bout who he used to be despite Chuck's offers over the years, but he knew who he was now.

Logan was a teacher, who helped kids learn a history he'd lived through and 'membered in batches on the best 'a days. He was a gardener, 'n he loved workin' with his hands 'n gettin' dirty all in a bid to bring somethin' to life. He was a  _ father, _ somethin' he never could've imagined for himself but loved, endlessly proud 'a his two baby girls—'n yeah, his  _ son, _ no matter how badly Hank teased him for adoptin’ another damn kid. 'N maybe his favourite 'a it all, he was a husband, married to the most amazin' man Logan'd ever met and thankful every fuckin' day Hank was foolish 'nough to say “I do” when Logan asked.

Tonight, Logan wasn't all 'a those things, but he sure as hell was a husband, 'n he smiled over at the love 'a his life as Hank told him all 'bout his latest lab invention with pride in his eyes 'n a smile in his voice. They'd just finished dinner at a real fancy place Chuck'd sent 'em to where no one said nothin' 'bout Hank bein' six-feet 'a blue fur. No one said nothin' 'bout the fact that he 'n Hank were sittin' at a candlelit dinner together, either, which was much 'preciated.

The two 'a 'em had almost given up on goin' out together after a few shitty experiences back when they were first datin', nearly a decade ago now, but Chuck'd told 'em this was a place he 'n Lehnsherr went to 'n didn't get nothin' but good service, so they'd decided to give it a chance. Their girls were always off on their  _ own _ dates, anyway, so the two 'a 'em had been findin' their nights lonelier than they'd used to be. 

‘N thankfully, everythin' had worked out 'n their date had been great. Hank’d been over the fuckin' moon at gettin' to go one a date with husband in a place where neither 'a 'em had gotten stared at. Even now that Hank was comfortable in his blue skin, he still didn't like bein’ stared at, which Logan figured was just a habit from a whole life spent knowin' you were different.

Now, they were headin' to an underground bar some 'a the younger folks been talkin' 'bout that was 'posed to be real mutant friendly. Logan was excited, 'cause they'd said there was a bit 'a space for dancin', somethin' his husband loved 'n Logan'd  _ learned _ to love durin' their years together. Just as they were turnin' a corner 'n Hank was goin' on 'bout the newest addition to the school, a polite young man named Piotr that two 'a their kids seemed to be real close with already, the hair along the back of Logan's neck stood on end.

Logan'd been followin' his instincts his whole life, 'n right now they were screamin' at him. Tunin' Hank out, he tried focusin' on his surrondin's, hearin' the pitter of rushin' feet and the racin' of several hearts. He took in a deep breath 'n caught the whisper of gun power 'n adrenaline, strong 'nough that his own heart started racin' in response. Fear started to climb up his belly the closer they got to the main street, stuck between two buidlin's 'n takin' a shortcut like a fuckin' dumbass. Logan saw somethin' outta the corner of his eyes 'n was tuggin' outta Hank's grip 'n shovin' him down 'fore he'd ever registered what it was.

“Get down!” Logan shouted, but he was too late 'n everythin' went black.

* * *

Logan groaned as he rattled 'round a metal cage, every inch 'a his body thrummin' with pain even as his brain drifted by real slowly. It felt like his thoughts were muddied up and trailin' after him without any urgency, coastin’ along at their own pace. He didn't know what was goin' on or how to make sense 'a all the noises he was hearin', but he knew somethin' was wrong. Somethin' was really wrong, somethin'  _ important. _ He'd... Logan tried thinkin' 'bout when he'd been doin' but he couldn't remember nothin', could never remember nothin', and he growled in anger as—

“Knock him back out!” he heard, the words barely filterin' through the cloud hangin' over his head. It was masculine, the voice, 'n rang with anger in Logan's ears.

He groaned again, hearin' more shoutin', voices layered on top 'a one ‘nother in a that made it all too much for him to focus on. He tried throwin' out his arm but nothin' would move, then everythin' went quiet again.

* * *

The next time Logan woke up, which was really the  _ first _ time since from what he could ‘member ‘a the first time, he’d only halfway to bein’ conscious 'fore gettin' drugged again, he was sore as  _ shit _ in a way that only meant one thing. Stretchin' his neck, Logan let a growl rumble outta his throat when he felt the heavy weight 'a metal pressin' 'gainst his throat 'n makin' it hard to breathe, harder to think, 'n fuckin' impossible to do anythin' to get him or Hank to safety.

Stretchin' his neck out brought awareness to where his arms were shackled to the cool wall behind his bare back, hangin' over his shoulders 'n causin' a strain to build up in his muscles. His shoulders were achin' 'n his biceps were real sore, same with the rest 'a his body. He took in a deep breath 'n growled at how muted his senses felt, though he could still make out the ever familiar scent 'a Hank. That alone had Logan's eyes snappin' open and scannin' the room, takin' in the grey, cement walls 'n the matchin' floor. There was a medical table in the corner that couldn't mean nothin' good, 'n a closed cupboard that was makin' Logan's heart race.

Fuck.  _ Fuck, _ this wasn't good, 'n so far there was nothin' Logan could do to fix it. He tried flexin' his shoulders again, wantin' to see how much give he had, 'n realized his biceps were restrained too. Closin' his eyes, he focused on his whole arm 'n went down from his fingers: a metal cuff 'round his wrist 'n cuttin' tightly into his skin as his hand hung limp, a metal chain wrapped around his biceps 'n connected to somethin' behind him, then another, thicker chain wrappin' ‘round his shoulders. He shifted his hips 'n— _ fuck, _ but there was  _ another _ chain wrapped 'round his stomach 'n keeping him from movin' any real distance from the wall.

Dammit. Logan wasn't gonna be able to do  _ nothin' _ with the way he was chained up. A feelin' 'a dread climbed up his belly 'n choked him out. Takin' another real deep breath, Logan focused on the familiar notes he could smell 'n let it give him the strength to open his eyes from where they’d fallen closed as he was cataloguin’ himself.

It was a fuckin' mistake.

He purposefully hadn’t looked at Hank when he was checkin’ the room ‘n now his heart ached painfully as he took in the battered sight 'a the man he loved, sprawled across the cement floor with his hands bound together behind his back. Hank looked even worse than Logan felt, pretty pale skin swimmin' in clothes that fit him when he got dressed that mornin'—was it even the same day?—but were now loose as hell. It felt like the collar on his throat was all Logan could see, forcin' his husband to wear pale skin. His brown hair was a mess atop his head 'n his glasses were nowhere in sight.

Logan'd been kidnapped and tortured 'fore, countless fuckin' times, but this... it was a helluva lot worse than anythin' he'd ever been through, 'cause it wasn't just him hurtin'.

Just as Logan was tryin’ to calm himself down ‘n get back to thinkin’ ‘a a way out, a door Logan hadn't even been able to see 'cause there were no handles 'n nothin' separating it from the rest 'a the wall swung open ‘n slammed loudly 'gainst the wall next to it. Logan's eyes locked on the doorway even if he wanted to keep watch ‘a Hank, 'n he forced himself to watch a stream 'a men in black army gear march in, though they did so without any sorta formation.

Not professional, but probably some sorta private outfit. Not fuckers to mess with, 'cause it was real fuckin' unlikely there was anythin' keepin' 'em legal. They were outfitted with guns, each one 'a 'em, 'n there was a pistol on their belts 'n another strapped to their ankles ‘n makin’ their ankles bulge. They brought in a reekin' wave of  _ hate _ that stunk so strongly Logan couldn't smell nothin' else even with his senses dialled way down. Seven 'a 'em filtered into the room 'n stood 'round the wall opposite 'a the wall Logan was tied to, but they still weren't standin' in any sorta order.

He kept his eyes on the men 'n didn't let 'em move to Hank, who he could hear groanin' real pitifully as he started wakin’ up. That was a weakness they didn't need to know 'bout. Thankfully the temptation bled away when another man walked into the room, wearin' a jacket the others weren't with an insignia on the shoulder that seemed familiar but Logan wasn’t able to place.

Fuck, but that just made Logan feel real worse ‘bout their predicament. These guys weren’t nothin’ official, that much was real fuckin’ clear, but they were clearly tryin’ their best to convince ‘em that they were. Not only that, but the way Logan was tied up wasn’t no amateur work, which was not a real good combination for ‘em.

“Oh good, you're awake,” the man with the jacket said with a smirk on his face that Logan wanted to punch clear off.

“The fuck are you 'n what the fuck do you think you're doin'?” Logan asked bluntly, his eyes snappin' down real fast to Hank when he heard the man start to move. What he saw did nothin' to help him, since his husband was just curlin' up in the fetal position.

“I work with an organization,” the dude began, 'n Logan snorted 'n rolled his eyes 'cause, uh, yeah, no shit. “Ah, I see. Is this how you're planning on behaving?”

Logan snarled at him, not likin' the way some 'a the other men waitin' 'round were eyein' Hank. Logan could handle whatever the hell was thrown at him—hell, he'd handled more shit than he'd ever wanna remember durin' his long-ass life, 'n he knew that he'd be able to handle this too, 'specially if that kept Hank safe. He would do  _ anythin' _ if it meant keepin' Hank safe.

“The whole villain speech gets kinda borin',” Logan told him with a shrug 'n a grin, 'fore spittin' 'cross the room. “M'not too interested in hearin' 'bout whatever the fuck it is you amateurs want.”

“Now, that attitude isn't necessary,” Jackass told him, which was gonna be Logan's name for him till he got somethin' more concrete. “We only have a few questions for you two, after all.”

An integration? What the fuck. “Then what the hell's with the chains?”

“Well, we're not expecting you to  _ want _ to answer them,” Jackass laughed, 'n the rest 'a the men echoed it, which was real fuckin' tellin'.

Some type 'a boss or leader with a crew. Eight in total, though Logan wasn't real convinced that was all 'a 'em. He was pretty sure it'd been a smaller team that’s gotten 'em, 'n so far Logan hadn't heard no one that'd sounded like the guy earlier, the one that'd drugged him. Hank made another noise, curled up a meter from his feet 'n still groanin' in pain. Logan tried not to pay him any mind, watchin' the man in front 'a 'em 'stead. If he was gonna get ‘em out, he was gonna have to bide his time. 

Jackass walked a few steps then turned back, startin' up a bit 'a pacin' as he pulled a metal baton from his belt 'n said, “We work for a company that... understands your unique mutations  _ aren’t  _ the future of evolution. Our company knows just how impure you bastards are, and our founders believe in wiping out the mutant problem.”

“'N the hell you want us for?” Logan growled lowly, tryin' to figure out if these fuckers were part 'a his past or somethin' else. There was somethin’ still ringing in the back ‘a his mind, focused on the fuckin’ bug lookin’ insignia marrin’ the shoulder of this dude’s jacket that he just couldn’t place. 

“Ah, that's where you're wrong. We don’t “want” you two. You see, we have no idea who either of you are, and we don't care. What we  _ do _ know is the general location you picked you two from has seen a dramatic increase in mutant sightings over the last twenty-four months, which leads us to believe there is some sort of grouping of you freaks around the area,” Jackass monologued, which Logan snorted at 'cause fuck’s sake, this shit never got any less annoyin'. 

“We hear there’s a school full of little mutie kids,” Jackass sneered, smackin' the button 'gainst his hand like some kinda newbie cop tryin' to intimate a couple 'a teenagers. Logan said nothin' despite his racin' heart 'n Hank said nothin' even though Logan was sure he was awake, ‘n the guy shook his head like he was disappointed in them. “Now, we can do this the easy way, or the fun way. Which way do you two faggots prefer?”

Neither 'a 'em said nothin'. Logan wasn't expectin' the slow smile that spread on the man's face, 'cause from what Logan could see 'a it, it seemed  _ genuine. _

“Get him up,” Jackass commanded, 'n three 'a his lackeys jumped right fuckin' to it ‘n rushed forward to get Hank.

“No!” Logan roared, thrashin' 'gainst the chains holdin' him down for the first time 'n yellin' as they grabbed Hank and hauled him up, movin' him roughly with no fuckin’ care. Logan roared as loud as he could, strainin' 'gainst the metal chains with everythin' in him, pushin' till it  _ hurt  _ ‘n he started goin’ numb from restrictin’ his blood flow, all the while stuck watchin’ fuckin' uselessly as his husband was dragged away.

Two men lifted him up only to slam him down onto the medical table ‘fore strappin’ a thick, leather lookin’ band under his shoulders. His hands were still connected behind his back in a way Logan  _ knew _ had to hurt, 'n that was only proven when someone pressed down on Hank's shoulder 'n he cried out in pain. Logan gritted his teeth as tight as he could 'n forced down a whimper than wanted to fall outta his mouth as he watched the man who'd stolen his whole entire heart 'n filled it with  _ family _ get strapped to a medical table.

Once they'd deemed Hank secure—a thick strap runnin' under his arms 'n over his chest, 'nother at his waist and more 'round his thighs, the table moved till Hank was upright, which was when Logan realized the now-bottom 'a the table had an edge that Hank's feet were standin' on. His husband looked even more terrified than Logan felt but his mouth was shut firmly 'n it didn't look like that was gonna change. 

Logan'd never loved him more.

Then they started takin’ turns beatin' him, 'n Logan'd never felt so much pain. 

* * *

Logan's heart was racin' outta his chest as he snarled, lips pullin' up over his teeth as he snapped his jaw at the men in the room with 'em. Fear was sittin' in the pit 'a his stomach like a cold stone as he did his best to focus on his surroundin's all the while ragin' like some kinda beast, hopin' 'gainst all fuckin' hope these men would slip up 'n Logan'd be able to do  _ somethin' _ to get him 'n Hank outta here.

So much for a date night on the town, Logan thought, another growl rumblin' outta his throat as he watched some  _ fucker _ strike Hank again. The sound 'a flesh hittin' flesh echoed 'round the room, loud 'nough that Logan heard it over the poundin' 'a blood in his ears. God, Logan was gonna kill all 'a 'em. Everythin' in him was itchin' to rip into the men’s flesh 'n tear 'em all apart, watch them bleed out till the room was soaked with their lifeblood 'n Logan could do somethin' do get Hank to safety.

“Calm down, mutt,” Jackass hissed, 'n Logan wanted to tear him apart. He was the worst fuckin' one, leadin' this group 'a men—Logan's count was up to fifteen, as a few 'a 'em had circled out after what Logan thought to be an hour.

His claws were just itchin' to get out but he knew it wouldn't help nothin' with the way they'd chained up him. These men were  _ good, _ 'n unsheathin' his claws wouldn't 'a done Logan a lick 'a good, 'specially when he'd start bleedin' 'n wouldn't be able to stop.

_ Fuck. _

He just wanted to do  _ somethin' _ other than watch the love 'a his life get beat on by a group 'a men who kept takin' turns ragin’ on him. So far they'd only used their fists but Hank was helpless to protect himself in any way, his arms locked up behind his back 'n strapped to a metal table for them to have a go at. Logan knew the sight was gonna haunt him for however longer he lived, 'n each time one 'a the fuckers hit Hank another part 'a his heart broke off till it felt like his whole chest was split open 'n bleedin'.

Jackass was callin' out shit ass information 'bout the “school” he thought they were hidin'. None 'a it was nearly enough for Logan to worry at all, but the fact that they knew 'bout it  _ at all  _ was worryin'. They didn't  _ hide, _ not exactly, but... he knew enough for Logan to wonder just how long they'd been bein' watched. God, no matter how much he was hurtin', he was glad that it was him 'n Hank who'd been taken 'n not one 'a the kids that’d been talkin’ ‘bout the club, 'n when Hank met his eyes after spittin' out a mouthful 'a blood with nothin' but defiance 'n love shinin' in his baby blues, Logan knew his husband felt the same.

“I think that's enough for now, men,” Jackass called, slappin' his palm with his baton. God, he was so fuckin’ obnoxious. 

Logan growled loudly when three men 'proached Hank, though he let a breath rush outta his throat when the start unstrappin' him.  _ Finally,  _ they were done. Sure, they may ‘a only been takin’ a break, but Logan was glad for it either way. After watchin’ the man he loved get railed on for an hour, Logan felt like he was goin’ to go outta his fuckin’ mind ‘n by the looks ‘a Hank, he needed the break even more. 

Fuck. 

A second later, anger was coursin' right back through him when they tossed Hank carelessly onto the ground by Logan's feet. “I'm goin' to kill you,” Logan swore, forcin' the words into a promise 'cause that was  _ all _ he had to keep himself goin'.

Jackass laughed and sprouted some more bullshit 'bout what he knew 'n how it would only take so long 'till he got the information he needed, then thankfully, finally fuckin' left.

Hank had a suppression collar wrapped 'round his own neck 'n his pale skin was littered with bruises. Every single fibre in Logan's bein' wanted to rip through the chains bindin' him up but he couldn't, 'cause his own collar was suckin' out his strength 'n he was nothin' but a man mournin', scared outta his fuckin' mind 'cause he didn't think Hank'd be able to handle another round 'a beatin' 'n Logan... he loved Hank with his entire fuckin' bein', but he loved his girls more, 'n he knew neither 'a 'em were ever gonna sell out their home.

This could only end one way, 'n Logan'd never been known for his hope.

“I want to be closer,” Hank muttered brokenly, barely even loud 'nough for Logan to hear but pullin' his attention anyway.

Logan shook his head even if Hank couldn't see him from where he was facin' sideways, 'n he managed to gasp out, “I can't move you right now.”

“Logan please,” Hank said desperately, more pain in his voice than Logan'd ever heard over almost a decade 'a 'em bein' together, 'n Logan nodded even as his heart broke.

Then, he reached with his legs 'n gently brushed Hank with his bare feet, suddenly glad they’d taken off most ‘a his clothes. Even the light touch had Hank whimperin’. Logan made a noise in the back 'a his throat in response, purely animal 'n nothin' but grief, 'n got his feet 'round Hank to tug him closer. He cried out, 'n Logan's own eyes finally spilled over, hot tears racin' down his cheeks. Hank kept pleadin, 'n then finally his shoulder was pressin' into Logan's groin as Hank gasped for air.

Just when Logan was gonna try 'n bend forward much as his restraints would've allowed him, Hank was cryin' out 'n then pushin' himself up till he got his shoulder pressed into Logan's thigh, then wigglin' himself up till he was layin' over Logan's front.

“I'm sorry,” Hank gasped, curlin' up to Logan's bare chest then whimperin' when it no doubt pressed 'gainst his sore skin. Hank didn't move around, curlin' up real, real small over Logan's body 'fore he started shiverin'. Logan gasped uselessly, a sob bubblin' outta his throat when he couldn't even  _ hold _ him. “I c-couldn't tell them.”

“That's okay, baby, that's okay,” Logan whispered, keepin' his voice as even as possible as he nuzzled all over Hank's head, pressin' kisses to his scalp 'cause that was all he could fuckin' reach. “I love you, blue, 'n I'm  _ so _ fuckin' proud 'a ya. You're the strongest man I've ever met.”

Hank shook his head, no doubt wantin' to argue, so Logan got his lips close to Hank's as he could ‘n whispered, “I'm so fuckin' happy you married me. Got no idea how I tricked an amazin' man like you into bein' my husband, but every single day I wake up 'n the world's a little brighter 'cause I'm wearin' your ring. You're amazin', Hank McCoy, 'n I love you more than I ever even imagined bein' able to love anyone.” Logan's voice broke, 'n he had to take a voice deep breaths 'fore he was able to say, “That was one 'a the strongest things I've ever seen in my whole life. I am so proud of you for keepin' quiet and keepin' our family safe.”

Hank whimpered, but then he nodded, his head brushin' Logan's bare chest. For the first time, he was glad that he wasn't wearin' a shirt, 'cause even though the cement behind him had been freezin’, Hank was nuzzlin' at his skin 'n takin' in deep lungful's 'a air, no doubt searchin' for Logan's scent the same way he was doin' with Hank.

“Get some rest,” Logan told him, kissin' his temple, “I'll keep watch.”

Hank nodded, 'n Logan felt his eyes flutter closed. He bit into his bottom lip 'till it was bleedin' so Hank wouldn't hear him cry, 'n then watched the door through blurred vision as the love 'a his life drifted.

* * *

A terrified scream pulled Logan into alertness. He was confused for all 'a second 'fore he forced himself outta the trance-like state he'd fallen into to conserve his energy while he'd been watchin' over Hank, focusin' his senses best he could when cut off 'a the  _ extra _ enhancements that came with his mutation. The first thing he felt was Hank's warm frame layin' over him, and he let out a long breath when he realized his husband wasn't shiverin' no more 'n was finally breathin' evenly.

Another scream echoed from above him 'n Logan's heart started racin' with a mix 'a fear 'n an even more dangerous sense 'a hope. He cast his eyes 'round the room when the sound 'a fightin' started from way  _ too _ close for comfort, probably just outside the room they were in, but then he felt a grin pull up his lips when somethin'  _ real _ familiar brushed over his mind.

His girls were here 'n if he knew 'em half as well as thought he did, the men hurtin' 'em were gonna pay in their blood.


	3. release

Laura was fuckin'  _ pissed _ . Sittin' in the X-Jet with her fingers tightly woven through Kitty's and stuck in the clingin' leather of the trainin' suits they'd donned on the plane, Laura was  _ fumin' _ with rage at the absolutely ridiculous show of bullshit the Prof and his jackass husband put them through.  _ They'd fuckin' known! _ They'd known for more than a fuckin' hour before they said shit. Hell, would they have even told them anythin' if Jas hadn't woken them up? Would they have all slept through the night when their dads had been missin', kidnapped by some anti-mutant fuckers who were doin' gods knew what to their parents?

They'd said nothin'. Done nothin'. And when they confronted them about it... Laura's skin was still crawlin' with the sense memory of havin' her entire body taken outta her control, her bones locked up tight without bein' able to do anythin' about it. No fuckin' wonder her dad hated the prick when he could do  _ that. _ Even havin' the Prof's mind in her own wasn't half as invasive as havin' someone reach inside her skin and take away her ability to  _ move. _

_ “ _ Jimmy,” she called, gettin' an answerin' noise from where he was sittin' in the pilot seat. She waited for him to turn around and meet her eyes before she said, “thank you,” with as much sincerity as she could muster. He smiled at her warmly, his cheeks dimplin'. There wasn't a single part of Laura that was attracted to boys, but she could see what her sister saw in him.

When he didn't say anythin', she added, “I hadn't realized your reach was that far?”

“It was nothing,” he told her, brushin' it off with a shrug of his shoulders and another smile that turned self-deprecatin'. “I've been practising a lot, s'all.”

“It's really impressive,” Kitty pipped in, and Laura sent her a grin when Jimmy's cheeks went pink. “You've come such a far way with your control!”

“I'm glad you're with us,” Laura told him firmly, keepin' her voice clear and her words sure. His cheeks flushed even darker, and Laura grinned at him teasingly.

“I... that means a lot,” he told her quietly, and Jas reached out from where she was sittin' in the co-pilot seat to grab his hand. Laura smiled when their fingers tangled together, incredibly happy that her baby sister found someone who cared about her just as much as she deserved. “No one really... they don't like my powers.”

“I like your powers,” Jas told him quietly, though Laura's hearin' still picked it up clearly.

She said somethin'  _ else _ that Laura's hearin' still picked up clearly, but let it be after clearin' her throat pointedly, ignorin' her sister's evil laughter to focus on Kitty.

“Thank you for bein' here,” Laura told her seriously, runnin' her thumb over Kitty's knuckles. 

They were all just kids, really. Laura had only turned eighteen a few weeks ago, and she was the only one. Kitty’s birthday was comin’ up, but she and Jimmy were still seventeen and Jas was a year younger still. None of them should be runnin’ off into a fight but... this was their  _ dads.  _ Kitty bein’ here with them without even a second of hesitation on her part was makin’ Laura feel overwhelmed with how much she felt for her. 

“Of course, babe,” Kitty told her seriously, leanin' in and givin' her a sweet kiss. “I'd be with you no matter what, but I wanna get your dads back too.”

“I'm...”

“I know,” Kitty told her, leanin' in for another sweet press of their lips that dragged on until Ororo cleared her throat at them. Laura only pulled back enough to rest their foreheads together, ignorin' the embarrassed scent comin' off their supervisor and focusin' solely on Kitty's tangy interest and the calmin', base scent of lavender. “I am too. I'm really worried, actually.”

“Prof didn't think they were dangerous,” Laura pointed out, allowin' the man that smallest bit of slack, since from everythin' he'd shown them, none of it suggested that their Dads were in danger.

Still, it didn't make it any fuckin' better that they'd left their dads to rot, not in Laura’s opinion.

Right. Maybe she was a little pissed off.

Laura took a deep breath and focused on the notes that made up her family: Kitty’s scent was made of a bitter lavender that Laura had fallen in love with, Jas was musky sage and a brighter, lighter note of raspberry that’d developed over the last few years, and Jimmy was fresh grass and spring air. 

This was  _ her _ team. This was  _ always _ gonna be her team, since no one was ever gonna be separatin' her and Jas, and Kitty'd been part of them long before she and Laura started datin'. Once Jimmy'd shown up and he and Jas had gotten close, he'd been part of the three of them. Their first trainin' room mission was the four of them together, only a few weeks after Jas' fourteenth birthday when they'd finally just gone ahead and let Papa sneak them in. Sure, Dad'd been pissed, but it'd been worth it.

From that first mission, they'd worked well together, and they'd only gotten stronger over the last two years of practice. They may not've been mission-ready but this was their  _ parents _ that'd been captured. There wasn't anythin' in the whole world that was gonna get them to stay put and let someone else get them back. She felt Jas' mind brush over her own, overlayin' comfort like she'd been doin' for the last little while as she left Jimmy at the front and came to sit at one of the aisle seats so the three of them could talk about what was gonna happen.

The flight didn't last much longer. By the time Jimmy was announcin' that they were goin' be landin' and to buckle in as Storm clouded the area up with fog, Laura was already frownin' as she looked out the front window, takin' in the industrial buildings around them with a growin' sense of unease. She was thankful that the Prof had been clear on the area they needed to be and could only hope they’d be able to pinpoint the exact buildin’ their Dads were bein’ held in now that they were here. 

Her heart started racin' just a second 'fore her sister's scent went real fuckin' sour.

“L-Laura,” Jas stuttered a second later as her eyes clouded over with tears that started spillin' down her face 'fore Laura'd even had the chance to get her belt off and cross the jet. “They're in  _ pain.” _

Laura dropped to her knees in front of her and tangled their fingers together, lettin' Jas squeeze so tightly that her bones ground together as her head tipped against the wall behind her and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “Jas! Jas, what's going on?”

“T-They were being hurt,” she whispered, whimperin' and whinin' until the emergency lights that'd clicked on when they were landin' shut off. A second later Jimmy was there, kneelin' on the seat beside her sister and brushin' Jas' hair from her face with one hand and cuppin' her cheek in the other.

“Shh, baby, it's alright,” Jimmy whispered, leanin' in and pressin' his forehead against her temple. “C'mon, Jas, breathe for me.”

Jas nodded, suckin' in a sharp breath. It took another minute ‘fore Jas was able to take a full breath, and she slowly blinked her eyes open.

“What was that?” Laura asked, fear climbin' up her belly.

“I-I don't know... all I know is that it hurt,” Jas trailed off and Laura made a questioning noise that got her to continue after taking another deep breath. “Dad, especially, I... it's hazy. It's like something's blocking me but I don't know what, and I'm not strong enough to figure out what it is. I think I know what building it is but... I-I'm sorry I can't get a good read, that I can't...”

“Jas,” Laura said firmly, gettin' her sister's attention and givin' her the kindest smile she could muster under the force of what was happenin'. “It's okay, Jas. No one's upset you couldn't get more, just walk us through what you felt, okay?”

“Papa was angry,” Jas whispered, a small wisp of a smile flickin' across her face before fallin' away. “He was  _ furious, _ Laura. I've never felt him like that ever and Dad... they really hurt him.”

“Fuck,” Laura swore, only calmin' fractionally when Kitty's hand rested on her shoulder and slid inwards till she was rubbin' her thumb up the length of Laura's neck, fingers curled under her collarbone. Laura let go of one of Jas' hands to cover Kitty's fingers, givin' her hand a gentle squeeze as she tried to get a hold on the mountin' panic. This was her team. She was the leader. “Alright, change of plans.”

“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked her with a distracted frown, most of his attention still focused on her sister as it should be.

“This isn't a peaceful extraction anymore,” Laura stated calmly, risin' to her feet and snaggin' Kitty's hand in her own. She looked at her team, at her  _ family, _ and she said, “We're gettin' them out, extreme prejudice.”

“If I may,” Ororo began steppin' up to them from where she'd been sittin' off to the side.

“If you think we're going to sit here and do nothin' when our  _ father _ has been hurt, you're dumber than the Prof,” Laura snapped at her, growling low in her throat. She might be young, but unlike anyone else on her team, she'd been trained to  _ kill _ since birth. 

This was her birthright, and she knew her team was just as capable.

“I'm not going to stop you, but perhaps we call in reinforcements,” Ororo suggested kindly. Laura was sure as hell glad that the Prof sent her and no one else, 'cause she wouldn't have managed to hold herself back with any of the other X-Men.

“You can do whatever the hell you want, but we're not wastin' another minute more than has already been wasted,” Laura told her as politely as she could manage, 'fore she turned away from her to look at her sister who was rubbin' a hand over her face, her other one still twined tightly with Jimmy's. “You okay?”

She nodded, and Laura watched with pride swellin' up her chest as within seconds she pulled herself together, wipin' her eyes and tuckin' her hair behind her ears. “I'm okay. I'm not wasting another second either.”

“Good,” Laura said, takin' a deep breath as her mind raced. “Alright, here's what we're gonna do: Jimmy, I want you stayin' on this jet but watchin' the entrance of this buildin' like a fuckin' hawk. I don't want a single thing comin' in without anyone knowin'. Jas, how many people are inside?”

Her sister frowned, leanin’ away from Jimmy and takin' a deep breath as her powers must’ve flooded back to her. Somethin' haunted crossed her face as her scent soured with grief before she took a real deep breath and drew her shoulders up. She closed her eyes, though a tear still leaked down her cheek which she wiped away silently. 

“I can't feel more than twenty,  _ maybe _ thirty people. I think if I got inside the building I'd be able to sense more 'cause some of them are hazy and nothing more than spots of light but... I don't think there's too many,” she told them all, blinkin' her eyes open and lookin' up at Laura with a look she'd never seen before. “I think they tortured Dad. I...” she cut herself off with a gulping breath and then said, “they're somewhere in the middle of the building. I can't get an exact location from here.”

“That's alright,” Laura told her, movin' forward to once again link their fingers together. She wished she could do somethin' to take Jas' pain from her, but all she could do was hold her hand and offer her comfort. “Kitty and I will get you inside. From there we can find out what we need, and proceed when we know more, alright?”

Jas nodded, turnin' and tuggin' Jimmy into a fierce kiss that Laura turned away from to give her privacy. She understood the sentiment, but while Jimmy was gettin' better at self-defence every day he trained, Laura didn't think he was ready to be in the thick of things. At least Jas and Kitty had mutations that lent themselves to fighting. If Jas didn't want to be seen there wasn't a single set of eyes that'd be able to see her, and if Kitty didn't wanna get touched there wasn't a single set of hands that'd be able to reach her. 

And Laura... well she had her claws and a lifetime of trainin'.

Laura and Kitty moved a bit away, givin' Jas and Jimmy more privacy when they started whispering to each other. It was gonna be hard to leave him behind but he'd have Ororo with him  _ and _ he'd be in the X-Jet. As much as Laura wished he was comin' with them, this was the safest option for him. Maybe one day he'd be ready to follow them into combat, but Laura had to do what felt right and her instincts were screamin' at her to keep Jimmy in the jet.

After a moment wherein Laura stood with Kitty tucked under her arm and huggin' her side as the two of them simply breathed together. This was their first mission, just like the Prof had said, and Laura's heart wouldn't stop racin' inside her chest, not even when she buried her face in Kitty's tightly pulled-back hair. Half of her own hair was pulled into a bun on the top of her head, securing the longer pieces that fell past her chin and ensuring they wouldn't get in the way during what was almost guaranteed to be a fight none of them wanted.

She heard what Jas and Jimmy were whisperin' to each other and the sweet words of comfort brought a smile to her lips as she listened. They kissed again, and then the two of them were gettin' up and walkin' over to where they'd been standin’ on the other side of the narrow jet. Kitty untangled herself from under Laura's shoulder, but not before givin' her a sweet kiss.

“I love you all,” Jas told them seriously, a fear shinin' in her eyes that Laura hadn't seen since they were children, livin' a life made from nightmares. 

Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun that sat at the bottom of her skull and her face was bare on the light touches of makeup she usually wore. She looked ready to fight, and it made Laura's chest ache to see, in the parts of her that had taken a lost, little boy in as her baby sister and then protected her with her life.

“I love you all too,” Laura said in an unfamiliar show of emotion that felt foreign on her lips. She wasn't nearly as open with her feelings as Jas'd always been, but this was her family. 

And together, they were gonna get the rest of their family back.

“Good luck you three,” Ororo wished them, a look on her face that seemed grim. “Reinforcements are coming, but they won't intervene without your permission, Laura.”

She nodded, and then spent another minute lookin' at three of the small handful of people she loved most in the world, the people she kept closest to her heart, and knew that no matter what it took they were gonna get back the two people missin'. “We fuckin' got this!”

“Hell yeah!” Kitty cried, punchin' the air then pullin' her in for another quick, smoochin' kiss that caused Laura to laugh even as she pulled back.

“We ready?” she called, watchin’ as Jas and Jimmy met eyes and then nodded in unison. 

Laura felt a feral smile spread across her lips. 

Excellent.

* * *

The warehouse was dark, dingy, floors covered in dust broken up only by footsteps. Somethin' about the warehouse set her teeth on edge and raised the hairs along the back of her neck. She kept Kitty and Jas close to her but maintained a step ahead of the two of them as they trailed after her. Jimmy was in their ear back on the plane, connected through a communication system Hank had designed for missions the Prof wasn't on. From hours spent in Hank’s lab with him, Jimmy was able to tell them they worked well and explained to them that they hadn’t been detected on any of the X-Missions they’d been used on so far. 

Now, Laura was listenin' to Jimmy list off information ‘bout the buildin' they were walkin' in as Kitty phased them through another wall and deeper into the warehouse. Three stories, built a few years ago with the rest of the warehouses ‘round them for a shippin’ company that went under. The shit Jimmy found with the resources Hank made was damn impressive. 

Jas took a startled breath and whispered, “Dad... he’s really not doing well. He’s trying to stay awake but he’s really struggling. I’m worried he might have a concussion?”

“Okay,” Laura said and took a deep breath that shook through her chest, smilin' when Kitty squeezed her hand tightly. “Let’s get further inside before we stop.”

Kitty nodded and started pullin' them both forward again. She phased them through walls slowly until they were roughly in the middle of the buildin', and then the three of them came to a stop. They were on the main level with two more floors above them and so far they hadn’t come across anyone else. Kitty dropped their hands as they came to a stop, and Laura did a quick, silent sweep of the dark room they were in. 

She could see perfectly despite the low lightin', and she took a deep breath and focused her hearin'. There were too many heartbeats for her to get an accurate count and the whole buildin' stunk like pain and fear and acidic hatred that burned her nose. Closin' her eyes, Laura took another, deeper breath and searched for scents that were familiar, pushin' past anythin' else. Along the edges of her senses, she  _ just _ got the faintest whiff of cigar smoke and pen ink, and she made a hurt noise in the back of her throat 'fore she could stop himself.

“They're somewhere in here,” Laura announced, comin' back to where Jas and Kitty were standin' close together in the centre of the room. “Jas, can you find out where they are and how many people are in here?”

Her sister nodded, wringin' her hands together as her scent soured with fear. After a moment, Jas closed her eyes and took a stutterin' breath. Laura reached out and took her hand as she and Kitty watched their surroundings. Laura kept her hearin' focused, ensurin' she'd know if anyone got close to them. She watched her baby sister and had no idea how the hell Jas was bein' so calm when only a short while ago she'd had to feel their Dad’s pain. Pride for Jas swelled up inside her chest, and she had to fight to keep a smile off of her face 'cause it wasn't the time.

“There are twenty-seven minds and then both of Dads’,” Jas whispered, drawin' in a deep breath as a bead of sweat built along her brow. “I'm... getting them all now, hold on...” she trailed off again, then gasped suddenly, “they seem to be in a room of their own on the floor above us. Dad’s in pain and Papa is,” a tear slipped down Jas' face that Laura was quick to wipe away, “I think they have a suppression collar on him because he feels so  _ helpless. _ I've never felt him like this before.”

“Good job, Illusive,” Laura praised just as quietly, tuggin' her into a hug and squeezin' her tightly. Jas hugged her back and shook in her arms, but other than a few whimpers she kept herself calm.

“There's a large group on the floor directly above us and only a few on the third floor. Dads are a bit away, probably in another room on their own. I... think I could handle the smaller group on my own,” Jas told her seriously, a mask of determination over her face that didn't fit with the scent of fear rollin' off her in waves.

Laura couldn't judge her for it, 'cause her own heart was beatin' quickly with terror when she asked, “Are you sure?”

A dark look passed over Jas' face, lookin' foreign on her sweet face. There was a fire in her eyes that Laura had only seen a few times durin' their lives. “They hurt Dad,” she whispered with a steady voice and a tone that ran Laura's blood cold. “They're going to pay for that in their blood, Talon.”

She looked at Kitty, who nodded her head with the same look of determination on her face. “That's your family, baby. I'm with you, no matter what.”

Laura nodded and took a deep breath. She raised her hand to her ear and made sure her earpiece was turned on before asking, “Leech, is the coast still clear?”

“Yeah,” Jimmy's voice cackled through to them before, “there's some sort of interference through the building, but there's nothing out here. Storm requested a backup team, but they’re still about ten minutes out.”

“Perfect. Thank you.” She let her hand fall and then looked at the two women she loved most in the world, her baby sister and the love of her life, and felt her chest restrict. “Jas, you need a way up.”

“There should be a staircase on the far right wall,” Jimmy cut in, and Laura marched across the room and pulled open the double doors she'd barely noticed at first, smilin' when they revealed a staircase that seemed to go up a few flights.

“Perfect,” Jas said, rollin' her shoulders. The leather of her training suit creaked and her smile was still feral, her teeth gleamin' in the low light. They shared a lingerin' hug 'fore partin' ways, and Jas didn't look back 'fore she started climbin' up the steps.

Takin' a deep breath and ignorin' the terrified ache in her chest at sendin' her baby sister into danger—she  _ knew _ Jas was capable, but there would always be a part of Laura that saw Jas as the little girl she needed to protect—and turned to Kitty. She tried for a smile, but Kitty marched up to her and pulled her into a searin' kiss.

“It's going to be okay,” Kitty told her against her lips, leather gloves cool against Laura's cheeks. She nodded, kissed back, and then drew herself up.

“Shadowcat, manoeuvre through the roof?” she asked, heart racin' when Kitty's smile turned feral. 

Noddin', Kitty took her hand and let Laura swing her onto her back. Kitty grabbed on tight, wrappin' her legs securely around her waist as Laura took off in a sprint toward the corner of the room. She jumped, kickin' up off the wall 'fore flexin' her foot and launchin' out her claw to scale up the wall. Kitty phased them through the roof and Laura kicked back off the wall to launch them into a turn. Kitty let go as they moved through the air and landed lightly on her feet seconds before Laura landed in front of her in a crouch.

Before them stood twenty-odd men. The room was silent save for their breathin', and the scent of shock was strong. Laura felt a grin pull at her lips as she threw her arms out, a single claw slinkin' outta her skin the second her arms were fully extended. She could hear Kitty's familiar heartbeat at her back and kept half a mind trackin' Jas' steps as she hurried up her flights of stairs. A second later they heard a door slam, and then the sound of horrified screamin' echoed from the floor above him, all within the span of heartbeats. 

Laura's lips pulled into a sharper grin as the men in front of her looked around at one another warily, and their confusion was palpable. Then, 'fore they gathered their bearings, her second claw slid out in a silent signal.

Kitty's heart beat rapidly and she breathed in once, twice, then took off in a dead sprint towards the group of men. A shiver ran down Laura's spine when Kitty phased through her, watchin' as she launched into a front handspring that took out a man by leavin’ footprints on his face.

Laura grinned when Kitty jumped back up in full action, usin' her mutation beautifully. She rushed forward, claws out and slicin' through metal and bone indiscriminately, cuttin' up guns 'fore they could fire them off. Laura's focus on was disarmin' the group of men in whatever way she could, and she whirled around faster than they could hope to keep up with, pushin' herself quicker and harder than she'd ever had any use to in a trainin' session, all to the invigoratin’ soundtrack of fightin' echoin’ through the room. 

She could still hear the screamin' above her and she could hear the loud beggin' of several men all bleedin' together with the pained cries of the group they were workin' through. Her face was drawn into a concentrated frown as he worked as quickly as possible to ensure the men were disarmed as Kitty kept focused on keeping them distracted while Laura cut guns and skin. 

Laura punched a man in the face with the full force of her strength and felt several bones crush against her knuckles, ‘fore she kicked out behind her and broke a kneecap. Her senses were nearly overwhelmed and she kept up as best she could, tryin' to focus on the heartbeats around her and not the ones upstairs, portions of her focus on the familiar rhythm of Jas' and Kitty's. Another twirlin' punch knocked out someone else and then she put her claws through someone's body.

She had to dance over the litterin' of corpses and barely’ breathin’ bodies, movin' past Kitty to take out a man who'd been comin' up behind her and breakin' his collarbone 'fore cuttin' through his shin. Suddenly Kitty let out a wordless scream and phased through Laura 'fore spinnin' into a roundhouse kick that hit the centre of a man's stomach with enough force that he doubled over. She followed it with a punch to his ear 'fore grabbin' his head and bringin' his nose down onto her knee 'fore shovin' him away. The beast of a man fell to the ground with nothin' more than a pained groan and Kitty slammed her boot down onto his temple, a sickenin' crunch echoin' in the now silent room.

Pantin' heavily, Laura looked around and realized they were the only two standin' in the whole room. Some of the men were still breathin' but there were only a few sluggishly beatin' heartbeats. Wipin' short strands of hair off her forehead, Laura stared intently at Kitty as she tightened her ponytail, still hoppin' from foot to foot with excess energy, her heart racin' and her scent sharp with excitement. 

Laura's heart pounded against her ribs and it felt like it was fillin' her chest impossibly, a lump in her throat and  _ so much _ emotion swirling around her chest.

“I'm in love with you,” Laura said breathlessly, stalkin' forward and drawin' her girlfriend into a fierce kiss.

Kitty kissed her back with equal force, arms loopin' around her waist to draw her in and then hold her real close. Laura draped her arms over Kitty's shoulder to keep her where she wanted, their lips movin' together messily, neither of them carin' about technique as they pressed their love into each other's mouths without any finesse, desperately holdin' on to one another.

“I love you too, Laurie,” Kitty whispered against her mouth and Laura's heart soared 'till she was laughin' against her lips.

And then: “Seriously?” Jas asked with a laugh, shockin' Laura into the present as her surroundin’s came back to her all at once. Jas shook her head at them when Laura and Kitty separated only enough to look over at her. The incredulous look on her sister’s face had Laura's cheeks gettin' warm.

“You and Jimmy are just as bad,” Kitty sassed at her, and Laura grinned when Kitty squeezed her ass and stuck her tongue out at Jas.

Her sister gasped, and exclaimed, “We are not!”

“Yes we are, baby,” Jimmy said over their comms, and Laura threw her head back and laughed as her heart rose even higher with elation.

Takin' a deep breath, she turned back to Jas and asked, “So, it went okay?”

Her grin was back to bein' the feral twist of her lips when she said, “Yeah, I dealt with them.” Her eyes moved over the bodies grouped together on the floor and asked, “You guys good?”

Laura nodded, her heart twisting with pride and elation and  _ relief _ that was short-lived when she heard a muted, familiar whimper from behind her, then said, “C'mon, let's find Dads.”


	4. Chapter 4

Hank's heart wouldn't stop racing despite the lethargy weighing him down. Logan was murmuring in his ear but his voice seemed far away, held back by the muddied swimming of his thoughts. It felt like he was underwater; his senses were diluted in such a way that should have had him feeling anxious, if only he had the energy to feel anything at all. As it was, he stayed curled up against Logan's warm chest as he tried to focus on his breathing. 

They'd beaten anything else out of him.

It felt like a feat that he was even still awake, but he hadn't been able to sleep despite Logan's assurance that he would watch over them. He trusted his husband but he was in too much pain to drift off. He ached in a whole-bodied way that he hadn't known he could. Before this day, the greatest pain Hank had ever experienced had been the first time his mutation accelerated and his flesh tore apart to be replaced with fur. Over the years he'd learned to control the shift and it hardly caused him pain now, but that first time... he could still, decades later, remember the phantom ache of his body rearranging itself into something beastly.

The way he felt now was entire  _ worlds _ more painful than that had been.

His shoulders were screaming at him from the way his arms had been so tightly bound behind his back, biceps aching and wrists raw from where the metal cuffs were  _ still _ digging into his skin even now that he wasn't strapped to that wretched table. His toes were sore from the way he'd been supporting himself on the thin ledge to try to the hard, unforgiving strap they'd wrapped around his chest and under his arms from cutting into his skin. 

And then, there was the way  _ everything _ still just from how he'd gotten beat on.

Hank shivered and tried to push the memory of fists against his skin away. Logan's lips were brushing over his temple and Hank focused on that one point of contact with is  _ entire being, _ desperately trying to drown out the nigh overwhelming pain with that bit of starkly contrasting softness. Logan would always be the point of calm, of safety, that Hank focused on when things were difficult, and this was no different. His husband had been his grounding point for nearly a decade and now Hank wished for nothing more than the ability to melt into his skin.

He drifted, not asleep but not quite awake. Relief, short-lived and hollow as it was, flooded him when he finally stopped shivering. Doing his best to relax his tensed muscles, he listened to Logan's constant stream of murmur as he tried to focus on just breathing evenly. Hank took a deep breath that smelled like  _ nothing. _ He was cut off from his senses and it made him feel sick. He'd never realized just how much he relied on his enhanced senses in his day-to-day life until they were out of his reach. Not being able to smell Logan's skin or hear the beating of his heart was making Hank feel like he was drowning in an endless nothingness, and the collar around his throat felt impossibly tight. 

Even now, with his head resting against Logan's bare chest and feeling the thumping of his racing heart against his ear, it wasn't enough. Not when Hank was used to picking out different notes in his scent, a mirage of smells that made up the particular base-scent of his husband, a smell he'd fallen in love with and couldn't ever imagine living without. Only now he  _ was, _ because a group of monsters wanted to rid the world of good,  _ innocent _ children just because they were different.

Because they feared them. 

Hank had faced his share of discrimination during his life and whether it had been for his mutation or for his identity, he'd never seen something as vile as this. He knew other's who had—his  _ entire family _ had faced such evils as these—and it had always broken his heart to hear such stories. Now, living through it, he understood Logan's burning anger, Erik's cold fury, even Laura's fiery combativeness. Hank was livid, and if he had any energy at all that his body wasn't burning through in a desperate attempt at healing from more hurt than physically possible, he knew that anger would be all-consuming.

As it was, Hank was worn out. He lied against his husband's chest and believed with all that he had left of himself that they were going to be safe sometime soon. After all, Hank knew that the school these men were so desperately after didn't  _ just _ house students.

* * *

Hank was  _ finally _ nearing sleep when the screaming started. At first he thought nothing of it, hardly noticing the noise over the pounding of his own heart in his ears and the way everything ached. The only thing that clued him in that something was  _ wrong  _ was the way Logan went tense underneath him, shifting enough that Hank was moved where he was laying on his chest. The sudden racing of Logan's heart echoing into Hank's ear caught his attention and he slowly forced himself to focus on his surroundings until he realized the faint screaming he could hear wasn't just a facet of his imagination.

He didn’t have enough energy to sit up, so he stayed exactly how he was as the distant sound of fighting filtered in from outside their room. Hank felt his entire body relax at once, as the familiar, soft edge of his daughter’s mutation wrapped around his mind, bringing him comfort that eased the tension built up along his limbs until he was laying looser against Logan’s chest than he’d been able to get himself. 

He felt his husband press a smile against his temple and even more tension drained from his body. Logan’s happiness confirmed that Hank wasn’t just imagining things, their daughters were here. He continued to drift, which was much easier to do so now than it’d been only moments before, as something settled within him. 

And then the door burst open, and Hank flinched back violently as blind panic shot through him. He pressed his injured side against Logan's chest and cried out when pain erupted through his body. He couldn't handle more beating, not when everything hurt so badly, when everything  _ ached _ and all he wanted was for it to stop. Hank sucked in a gasping breath of air before a strong sense of calm so, so slowly brushed through his mind and laid over his limbs. Hank slowly pulled his head upward only to find that his eyelids were stuck together, lashes clinging with dried-up tears that had never made their way down his face.

With a heavy sigh, he remembered that it was his  _ daughters _ that were here and no one was going to hurt him. Then cool, soft hands started brushing over his face with feather-light pressure. Hank sucked in a shaking breath, and then Jas’ fingers were rubbing ever so gently over his eyelids, easing the tight skin until he was able to blink his eyes open and look at his little girl, a sob bubbling out of his throat as he took in her beautiful, sweat-soaked face.

“Jas,” Hank whispered, reaching out and then whimpering when the action pulled at his already raw wrists. 

He hissed in pain, but then Kitty was approaching slowly at Jas’ shoulder. “Mr. McCoy, can I?”

Hank nodded best as he could, his head brushing Logan’s chest. Kitty rushed behind him and a second later the cuffs were falling away, clattering against the cement somewhere far off. He kept his eyes focused on his daughter, hardly believing that she was really there, standing right in front of his eyes, but not feeling up to asking how she was or what could have possibly led to this.

Clearly Logan felt the same, as he too kept quiet. Once Hank’s arms were freed, Laura stepped up from where she’d been standing in the doorway and helped Hank stand, clearly trying to be as gentle as possible. Despite her efforts, every shift of his body hurt more than the last. He had to grit his teeth tightly to stop himself from crying out loudly, slumping heavily against his daughter with the knowledge that she would be able to support him. 

Kitty came back into view and asked, “Can I take your collar off?”

“Please,” he croaked, a shiver running down his spine. 

Kitty's fingers were gentle against the skin of his neck, her smile gentler, and Hank tried to lift his lips in something that didn't look like a grimace as she flipped off the suppression collar and then immediately phased it through his neck. Hank shuddered as his skin rippled, growing thicker, sturdier, hairier. He gasped, and then all at once his senses flooded back to him and he started shivering even harder as his healing kicked in. 

Laura held him the entire time, her superior strength keeping him on his feet as his knees buckled. He could feel his healing begin to sluggishly get to work, but he knew it would be  _ hours _ before he was even remotely better. Despite being several inches shorter, Laura managed to wrap her arms around Hank’s frame and all but bundle him up in his arms. 

Hank breathed in the scent of her to drown out the stench of blood that was leaking into the room. Some of it was scattered over Laura but tucking his nose against her neck blocked out everything that wasn’t the smell of her. He listened, the world coming alive now that he finally had his enhanced senses back, as Kitty and Jas got Logan free. 

It was only when Logan’s heartbeat began to even out that Hank slowly tried to disentangle himself from his daughter’s hold. She helped, keeping him steady until Logan was  _ right there, _ warm, familiar hands grabbing his hips tightly. His face was dirty and lined with tear tracks but it was  _ whole,  _ unmarred and endlessly handsome and the most amazing sight Hank had ever seen, especially after he’d spent the last... however long they’d been here thinking they were going to die.

“C'mere, baby,” Logan told him lowly, tugging his face into his neck and wrapping him in his arms. Hank clung back to him, a sob bubbling out of his throat as he dug his claws into Logan's skin, holding on to him desperately.

“L-Logan,” he muttered, but then his voice cracked and he wasn't able to get anything else out. His entire body shook painfully as he started crying, a sense of relief rushing over him with such a strong tide that he couldn't feel anything else. He lost himself in the rolling waves of  _ safety _ and only cried harder when his daughters pressed against his back and added to the warm, familiar scent of  _ family _ that he was gladly allowing to overwhelm him.

Now that he finally had them back, it felt like he could  _ breathe  _ and he sucked in ragged gasps of breath that  _ finally _ filled his lungs. Everything still hurt. Everything was going to  _ keep _ hurting for much, much longer than Hank wanted to deal with the pain for. His healing factor wasn’t anything like his husband’s or his daughter’s, though it was enhanced. Still, he knew at least a few of his ribs were bruised and that was going to take aches to feel better. 

That didn’t seem to matter as he held his husband in his arms with his daughters pressed up against them.  _ This _ was what he had stayed silent for. This, his family, was the reason he’d taken whatever the hell they’d wanted to give him and had kept his jaw locked and ground his teeth together through every flash of pain. There was nothing in the world they could give him and no possible amount of pain that they could inflict upon him that would make him give up his heart. 

“Did you girls kill all the fuckers or are they’re some left for me to get at?” Logan grumbled beside his ear, the deathly tone to his voice sending a shiver down his back. 

There was a pause, and then Laura said, “Nah, we killed ‘em all. Figured dead was dead and there was no way in  _ hell _ they were livin’ after what they did to you two.”

“Thank you,” Hank surprised himself by whispering, squeezing his eyes shut and holding Logan tighter as he worked to ground himself in his husband’s skin. 

The relief he felt was making him nauseous, but he couldn't bring himself to force it away. He  _ was _ relieved—he had no idea who the hell those guys were but knowing that they were dead made him feel safe in a way that almost rocked him, seeing as he hadn’t even realized he’d been afraid. But now wasn’t the time. He had his family back, after all, and there was nothing more important than being with his loved ones. Hank pushed everything else away, pressing his nose tighter against Logan’s neck and breathing in nothing but the scent of him, ignoring the bitter tones of blood that were faintly wafting into the room. 

That didn’t matter.  _ This, _ the fact that he was okay, that was being surrounded by his family, was what mattered. 

“We need to be getting back to the jet,” Jas whispered, stroking a hand up and down Hank’s back the way he’d always done for her when she hadn’t felt well—squeezing the nape of his neck each time her hand ran up his spine. “Quicksilver and Storm have gotten as much information from this place as they could get, and they’re back on the jet. Dad... we need to get you home and in bed.”

Fear was laced through his daughter’s voice, making it shake. Without a second thought Hank held out his arm and Jas was there not even a heartbeat later, cuddling into his side. When Hank peeled his eyes open he couldn't see much more than Logan’s sweat-soaked neck, but he could make out Jas’ legs and felt a whine build up the back of his throat when he saw her knees were shaking.

Pushing himself up despite the pain, he kept one arm wrapped snugly around Logan’s back, unwilling to stop touching the man he loved, and held out his other arm. “Girls,” he said gently, and a moment later all three of them were tucked between him and Logan as they surrounded them together. “We’re okay. We’re okay because  _ you _ got us out of here, okay?”

Jas nodded and Laura grunted and Kitty made a noise that sounded close to a sob where she was squished between his girls in their group hug. None of them made any move to pull away for several minutes. Hank counted the sluggish beats of his heart as he held his family close, reminding himself that they were  _ safe _ and that he could finally relax. 

God, so much for a date night on the town. 

Logan cleared his throat and muttered, “Much as I’m lovin’ the cuddlin’, we better get goin’ so we can get home.”

Hank agreed, but he hugged them all a bit tighter despite the way it sent white-hot pain through his body before he finally pulled back, giving them all the best smile he could muster. “Thank you, girls. I am so, so unbelievably proud of you.”

“Y’all did damn good,” Logan echoed.

Laura grinned proudly, Jas ducked her head with a blush, and Kitty gave her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. God, he loved his kids. 

It was hard work walking out of the warehouse. There was an elevator, but it wasn’t in use which meant Logan and Laura had to all but carry him down the stairs. Each step he took hurt worse than the last and he was infinitely grateful that they only had to go down one floor. Thankfully Kitty was with them and they didn’t have to deal with the maze of hallways and doorways—they walked straight through the building. 

Hank leaned heavily on his two supporters as they finally stepped outside. He tilted his head back and took a deep breath of fresh air, letting his eyes fall closed. Logan was doing the same beside him. Hank could hear his heavy, heaving breaths and understood the impulse. He tugged Logan a little closer with the hand resting along his shoulders. Laura gently pressed against the small of his back, and Hank took a shuddering breath before they started walking again. 

Thankfully nothing was broken, but  _ God _ did walking up the jet’s ramp hurt like hell. Jimmy was standing in the middle of the hangar with his hands twisted together in front of him and a look on his face Hank hadn’t seen since the very first night he stayed at the mansion. He felt his heart crack at the pure terror painted across his son’s face and tried for a smile he was sure fell flat. He took his arms from over Logan and Laura’s shoulders and took a step forward on his own with a deep breath that burned through his lungs. 

“Jim,” Hank muttered, then opened his arms.

The boy hesitated, but not even a moment later he was darting forward and burying himself in Hank's arms. Logan may have been the first one to add the young boy to their family, but he and Hank had a special bond.

Despite readying himself for the disorienting feeling of his senses fading away and his skin shrinking back into pale flesh, nothing happened. Hank hugged his boy tighter despite how weak his entire body felt, taking a gasping scent of the boy's base scent—which smelt similar to the way water tasted, a very distinct  _ lack _ of scent that had its very own smell. Hank let it wash over him and ignored the quiet whispering of the others around them despite understanding their shock.

When he pulled back, something in his chest settled at knowing all his children were safe, he looked Jimmy in the eye and firmly said, “You're incredible,” as he ran a hand over his curls and tipped his chin up when he ducked his head. “This is truly extraordinary, Jim. Tell me, when did you learn this?”

“I-I wasn't sure I could do it ‘till right now. I've been practising drawing it in but... it's hard,” Jimmy admitted, his cheeks shading pink, and then Jas was attacking her boyfriend's side and smacking a loud kiss to his cheek that only made him blush darker.

“That's amazing,” Hank told him again, not minding when he ducked his head and then grinning at the wink Jas sent him before she pulled him away. Hank turned his head to find Logan watching him intently, and his smile softened. “Help me sit?”

Logan nodded, then was there a heartbeat later. Hank's arm rested sorely along Logan's shoulders and he hissed with each breath he took, but he was monitoring his own pain and it was thankfully lessening at a steady, if slow, rate. It was going to take hours, maybe close to a day, before everything was healed, but he could manage. His family was safe, and they were here. Hank could devote every shed of energy he had towards getting better, and with that thought, he let his eyes fall closed as Logan lowered him into a padded seat, resting his head on his husband’s shoulder when he sat beside him. 

* * *

Hank hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings during the flight home. With his head resting on Logan’s shoulder, he’d mostly watched his family. Peter had apparently come to join them at Ororo’s request and was piloting the ship with her, the two of them giving his family privacy. Hank was glad for it—he didn’t want to be around anyone but his loved ones right now, not with the way he was feeling. 

Everything still hurt, but luckily it wasn’t as overwhelming as it’d been back in the warehouse. Hank was sure part of that was mental—now that he was safe, he’d stopped focusing on the waves of pain as they washed over him—and the other part was that his healing was getting to work, albeit slowly. He knew that it was going to a long few hours, perhaps even a day, before he felt better, but he also knew just how fast his recovery would be compared to someone without any sort of healing factor, and for that he was grateful. 

Logan was fine beside him, though he kept scenting Hank’s hair, digging his chin into Hank’s temple or nosing over his cheek. As much pain as Hank was in, he couldn’t imagine what it would have been like for his husband, who’d been tied up and helpless and had watched Hank be beaten and had been able to do nothing to stop it. Oh, Hank was no blushing damsel and he could certainly handle himself most days, only... this hadn’t been most days. This had been a carefully planned and flawlessly executed kidnapping and torturing. Hank  _ hadn’t _ been able to handle himself and Logan hadn’t been able to handle things for him, either. 

Hank didn’t think he would ever forget the feel of Logan’s lips brushing the top of his head as hot tears dripped onto his temple. He would never forget the way Logan’s voice had cracked as he'd apologized, or the way he’d looked when Hank had begged to be pulled closer. He knew that if the men who’d beat him didn’t haunt his nightmares, his husband’s helpless fury would. 

“Dad?” Laura’s voice penetrated the haze he’d fallen into, and he looked up to find his eldest daughter staring at him in concern. “Dad, are you alright?”

“Hmm?” he asked, licking his dry lips. “Yes, I’m alright.”

“I said your name twice,” Laura told him with more fear in her voice than Hank had heard from her since she was a little girl.

His face softened as Logan kissed his temple, and he assured, “I’m sorry, dear. I’m alright, just sore and  _ more _ than ready for bed.”

She nodded though she didn’t look convinced. Hank felt his chest give a lurching ache knowing that he was worrying his children, but he wasn’t quite sure how to absolve them of that worry. Hank knew that he would be in the same boat if it were any of his four children that had been taken. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he’d be as composed as they were being, if the situations had been reversed. 

Either way, he tried for a light smile as he looked at them, all sitting in the row opposite him and Logan (no doubt so an eye could be kept on them). “So, what was this? Your first official X-Mission!” Hank asked with a small grin, looking at each child with a proud smile. “Did I miss a graduation ceremony?”

Despite trying to make a joke, there wasn’t a single laugh. 

“Right. Not the time for jokes,” Hank muttered, casting his eyes to the floor as he felt his cheeks burn slightly. Of course the children wouldn’t be in the mood for a joke, with what they’d just been through. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just—” Jas started, but she cut herself off with a high-pitched noise that came from the back of her throat before turning to bury her face in Jimmy’s shoulder. Her boyfriend wrapped an arm around her and tugged her close, letting her hideout against his chest. 

“I ain’t nothin’ to worry ‘bout, baby girl,” Logan told her sweetly, squeezing Hank’s side. “We put y’all through a scare. We get it. Don’t you worry, alright?”

Jas nodded and Hank squeezed Logan’s thigh in thanks. He stroked the inside of his husband’s leg in a slow, sweeping motion, keeping contact as they flew. Having Logan’s arm wrapped around the small of his waist and being able to stroke his thigh felt extraordinary. There had been a while in that warehouse where Hank wasn’t sure if they’d ever touch each other again. 

Shaking his head where it was still resting against Logan’s shoulder, Hank did his best to push that thought away. Their children had saved them, and it wasn’t worth thinking of anything else. 

“Landing in five,” Ororo called from the front, and a pale light rose from the floor as the landing lights switched on. 

Hank squeezed Logan’s thigh—despite having designed and built this very jet, there was something about landings he’d never quite liked. He pushed himself to sit up straight, forcing away any and all thoughts that weren’t focused on the present. Logan’s hand covered his own and he pressed a kiss to Hank’s cheek, distracting him the moment the plane touched down on a smooth landing that Hank barely felt. 

“Thank you, love,” Hank whispered, turning his head and feeling their noses brush together as his eyes fluttered half-closed, staring at the man he loved through heavy lids. 

“Any day, blue,” Logan told him with a grin Hank had fallen in love with painted over his lips. He leaned in to kiss it, drawing out the slide of their lips until their girls chorused noises of disgust and Hank pulled back with a laugh and a faux-stern look. 

“Don’t even start, you hormone-driven-teenagers,” Hank scolded with a teasing tone, chuckling when they all groaned and blushed. 

“Up ‘n at ‘em,” Logan called before standing himself. Once he was up, he stretched and then popped his back with a groan that was low and loud enough that Hank felt his cheeks get warm. His husband turned to him with a ridiculous grin that had him rolling his eyes, but he still took his hands when he held them out. 

Logan helped him to his feet carefully, moving forward to wrap an arm around Hank’s waist and support him. A second later and Laura was there, her hand right above her father’s on Hank’s back and adding even more support. It was much easier to bear his own weight than it had been earlier, made even easier with his family. 

“Thank you, dear,” he said quietly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, a move that earned him a beaming smile from his daughter who usually acted as though she detested affection. 

Hank felt his heart give another ache at that—clearly his children were considerably shaken up if this was how they were acting. Well, there wasn’t much Hank could do to assure them now, seeing as even standing for a moment was sucking away any energy he’d built up during the flight. Goodness, but he was rather looking forward to getting into bed for a good rest. 

“C’mon, blue,” Logan rumbled into his ear, slipping to Hank’s side so he could support him as they walked. 

“Thank you, love,” he bid, nodding at his kids and watching fondly as they exited the jet chattering, talking about their mission with Peter. 

Hank didn’t pay attention to what they were saying, rather letting himself get half-carried along by Logan with Ororo walking serenely down the ramp beside them. While he’d been joking with the kids earlier, there was a part of him that wondered after their presence. None of them were X-Men,  _ especially _ not his youngest daughter who was not yet seventeen, which was only  _ technically _ the age of the youngest X-Men but absolutely not the age they allowed kids to graduate at. 

No... something was clearly wrong. As they finally made their way off the ramp—slowly, as Hank could hardly bear to put any weight on his left ankle—his children were standing in a straight line, their backs tall as they faced off against a threat Hank realized to be Charles and Erik. Just as Hank was opening his mouth to ask what was going on, Erik stepped forward and the familiar  _ snick _ of metal claws unsheathing echoed through the otherwise silent hall. 

“Don’t take another step,” Laura growled, and Hank felt his eyes widen considerably in shock. 

“Now, children—” Charles was cut off by Jas stepping forward, and from the crease that formed between his friend’s brow, they were speaking to each other telepathically.

“You’d be surprised at just what we can handle, professor,” Jas said in a cloyingly sweet voice and one Hank had never heard from her. 

“I’ve just come to welcome your fathers’ home and let them know that there is a bit of a surprise waiting for them in the medical bay,” Charles told them, but through Hank’s mind he quickly pushed,  _ I am so terribly sorry, Hank. We had no idea that they were dangerous. We were hoping to give you two enough time to get yourselves out and collect whatever information you could. I... should have realized that something was wrong when I couldn’t read you and I’m  _ so _ sorry. _

_ It’s okay, _ Hank pressed back, feeling his hand spasm around Logan’s shoulder. It wasn’t, and they both knew that, but Hank wasn’t going to hold his oldest friend accountable for a slip of judgment. “Girls,” Hank said sternly, lifting his arm and grinning when first Jas, and then slower, Laura came and hugged him. “Thank you for rescuing us.”

“I love you, Daddy,” Jas whispered into his chest, as he patted her back and held Laura tighter when she made a soft noise. 

“C’mon, kids, you heard the old man. To the medical bay,” Logan directed, giving them all a stern look even as he rubbed a hand up and down Laura’s back. 

It didn’t take long before they were moving again, he and Charles bidding each other a goodnight telepathically. Hank and Logan were safe because their children had come for them. He couldn’t find it in himself to be angry at Charles, not when he’d been reacting to the information he had available to himself. Of course it would have been much nicer to have been rescued right away, but... well, life wasn’t often very nice, was it? 

Hank felt his legs almost give out in relief as they turned a corner into the medical bay, which was a large, rectangular room filled to the brim with cutting edge medical equipment, most of which Hank’d designed himself. This evening, however, there was an addition to the room Hank had never seen before in the form of mattresses lined together and piled high with pillows and blankets. He only needed to breathe in to know that the bedding had to be from their rooms, as the entire medical bay smelt strongly of his family. While his senses weren’t quite as strong as Logan’s, he still more than appreciated the comforting, familiar scent after the night they’d had. 

“Oh thank goodness,” Hank mumbled, leaning even heavier against Logan who was still propping him up. 

“Do you like it?” Jimmy asked hesitantly with his hands tangled together in front of him, no doubt to keep himself from fiddling his fingers in a shower of nerves. 

“Was this you?” Hank asked, a note of awe in his voice as he turned to look at the boy he’d considered a son for the last handful of years and loved unconditionally. 

“Yeah. Uh, I sent a message ahead, when we got close enough for Professor Xavier to reach. He must have had a student do this,” Jimmy told him, eyes on the floor. 

“Come here, Jim?” Hank asked. A moment later he had his son wrapped up in his arms, feeling his heart lurch with how incredibly lucky he was to have such a family. “Thank you.”

“It’s okay,” Jimmy said against his chest, and Hank hugged him tighter just because he  _ could. _ God, he’d been so terrified he’d never even see his children again. 

Suddenly one of his girls made a noise of excitement, and then Kitty squealed, “Oh hey, comfy clothes,” before she immediately started unzipping her training suit. 

Hank let Jimmy go and the boy rushed over to the lab table that the clothes were piled upon. Hank turned away as she began to change, sharing a look with his husband when their other three children started chattering about just how uncomfortable and restricting the training suits were. He knew what they felt like, seeing as he’d designed them, and they honestly weren’t nearly as bad as the children were making them out to seem. 

“How ‘bout a kiss, blue?” Logan asked, holding out his hand. 

Hank took it easily and happily allowed his husband to draw him in and kiss him sweetly. Their lips moved together with the ease of a decade together, and he hummed against Logan’s mouth as his husband’s hands slipped under the hem of his shirt and started petting down his lower back. After the day they’d had, losing himself in Logan’s mouth was like absolution. He happily lost himself in the gentle pressure of Logan’s mouth against his and his husband’s wandering hands. It was clear from the chasteness of their kiss that neither of them was looking for anything but comfort, but as Hank cupped Logan’s face and ignored the ache in his side the movement cost, he felt that it was rather perfect. 

“Okay you two, enough being gross,” Jas teased them, her voice holding a musical quality to it that caused Hank to chuckle. 

Pulling away, he gave his husband a smacking kiss that earned him a chuckle. He limped over to the medical table and was relieved to find clothes for him and Logan as well. Hank kicked off his shoes and then sent his husband a truly pathetic look, feeling his cheeks burn aflame as shame flooded his belly. 

“I’m going to need your help,” he whispered, casting his eyes over to find the kids occupying themselves with fighting over pillows and blankets in an obvious bid to give them privacy. Thank goodness. 

Logan stepped forward and kissed him firmly, distracting Hank for a moment. The shirt he was holding fell from his hands as he immediately kissed Logan back. They’d always been easy with affection, but now there was a desperateness that coloured each kiss. They’d come so close to losing each other. 

“I love you,” Logan said against his mouth, and the easy declaration made it so much easier to step back and place his hands on Logan’s shoulders. 

They worked together to get Hank’s shoes and slacks off and then get him into a pair of sweats. It was exhausting, and by the time Hank had them tied around his waist, he was panting. When Logan ripped his shirt straight down the middle, Hank didn’t even think about protesting. While blue, he and Logan could get by wearing the same size of clothing—or at the very least, the same sized shirts—so he didn’t even think of protesting when Logan pulled his own sweater over Hank’s head and then helped him get his arms through the armholes. 

Then, he leaned against the table and worked at catching his breath, breathing evenly through the fresh waves of pain washing over his body as Logan changed into a pair of pyjamas himself. He watched Logan pull on a shirt and then strip off the nicer pair of jeans he’d worn out for their dinner date, and, quite ridiculously, had to wipe away a tear that fell down his cheek. 

God, all they’d wanted was to go for dinner and then do some dancing. Their entire night had been completely ruined because some  _ bigots _ thought they were above the law. Hank had never been blind to the horrible monstrosities that could exist within the human population, but it had been years since he’d last experienced discrimination himself. It was easy to forget, tucked away in Charles’ mansion-turned-school, working to bring about a better life for their kind,  _ why  _ they were working towards that better life. 

Hank wondered if perhaps there was something more than he could do. If there was a way he could truly make a difference. 

But as Logan stepped up to him and gave him another sweet kiss, Hank knew now wasn’t the time to think of such futures. Now was the time to be his family. A smile curled across his lips as he looked across the room to find that the kids were already lying in the middle of the mattress pile, so with a final kiss Hank and Logan caged them in. Hank gingerly lowered himself down, grunting as a particular movement caused pain to shoot up his spine. Jas’ hands were on him a second later, helping him get laid out along the mattress on his back, which he did as quietly as possible to keep the others from worrying too badly. 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Hank told her, taking her hand in his as they settled down beside each other. “You all did amazing today.”

He was about to add how proud he was of them, but then Jas started to cry, which was absolutely  _ not _ what Hank had been expecting. With a deep breath, he forced himself onto his side despite how much it hurt and immediately tucked her against his chest in a way he hadn’t done since she was a little girl. He rubbed her back in long, sweeping strokes, squeezing the nape of her neck and murmuring against her scalp and finding it much easier to block out his pain when he was focusing on his daughter’s distress. 

“I-I felt your pain,” she whimpered, hiding against him tightly and curling up into a small ball. A moment later, a wave of pure terror washed through Hank’s mind and made him shudder. 

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” Hank told her firmly, hugging her closer. He felt Jimmy press up against his knuckles, so he took his hand from Jas’ back to tug Jimmy in closer and hold him under his arm as well. 

He could hear his husband comforting their other two daughters and was glad they were all piled together. Hank let his eyes fall closed as he listened to Jas calm down, Jimmy whispering into her ear as Hank held them both tightly. Despite his youngest’s distress, Hank couldn’t find it in himself to feel anything other than thankful. Thankful for his family, for his children and his husband, for how his life had become something he  _ never _ could have imagined but was thankful for every single day. 

A lifetime ago, Hank had been a young girl who hadn’t known how she could possibly survive the wretched life she’d been born into. Now, he was happily the husband of an incredible man. He was the proud father of four—and if his suspicions were correct—, soon to be five  _ amazing _ children. He was a teacher, shaping young minds and helping children who were all just as terrified as he’d once been to find their happiness. 

He lived the very life he never could have possibly hoped to dream for, and as he tucked his children closer to his chest and breathed in the wonderful scent of his family, it was with a smile on his face and the pain radiating through his body fading to the background. He was warm and he was safe and he was so, so incredibly happy. Nothing else mattered, not when he had his family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks to the few people who left comments, they meant a lot on this work 💜

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi to me on [tumblr](https://lavender-lotion.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> kudos are much appreciated, but things have been really difficult lately, and a comment, as short and sweet or as sprawling and sporadic as you can manage, would be _greatly_ appreciated! 
> 
> i run an x-men discord server! check it out [here!](https://discord.gg/3uG3VNP)


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